Sunday, October 27, 2013

Into Year 8

Recently I went back to look at some of the first entries in this blog, beginning October 22nd, in the ancient past of 2006. There were a lot fewer folks blogging then...I mean A LOT fewer. In fact, there were a whole lot fewer people on the Internet, especially older folks like me. That has changed as the baby boomers have more time on their hands as kids leave the nest and some of us retire. People of all ages have become more comfortable with technology during that time, too.

The fun thing about the Internet is that no one really knows anything about you, so when I started this blog I was accepted, or it seemed so, by bloggers all over the world and many years younger than I was.
It has been fun to see the life changes that have taken place among many of the younger bloggers I met then. Some have married and have had kids, some have moved from amateur to professional photographers and writers, some have moved, change jobs and professions, discovered different ways to eat, different cuisines and culture, expanded their talents and skills, and more. We have lost some bloggers and gained many more.
I've learned a lot and had virtual fun with them over the years.

My personal journey during these seven years has included new jobs, new skills from going back to school, a half dozen or more home improvement projects, a huge increase in cooking and baking skills and recipes, new virtual friends made, and a continued interest in food and how it can bring us together. I take lots more photos, and some of them are better than the ones from the first year. Now and then I throw in some photos of flowers (like above) or of a project or something else non-food, but mostly this blog is about food. My favorite thing still is to try a new recipe, often making changes to the recipe right off the bat, then to share the results with friends and family. Sharing good food around the table is one of the unfailing sources of joy. On occasion it is a flop and I resolve to try it again as written or make other corrections, but mostly I find a new recipe to keep, like the one I just posted for butternut squash and yam soup.

I get excited about discoveries, too, like the fact that you can make excellent caramelized onions in a crock-pot, with no stirring or watching to make sure they don't burn. You can make enough to use some and freeze some for later. These brown, savory, slightly sweet onions are made from inexpensive yellow onions and they add so much flavor to so many kinds of dishes...omelets, vegetables, savory tarts, pizza, in soups, over grilled meats or poultry, and so on. I bet you will find your own favorite ways to use them.

This is another one of the blessings of blogs...you can find amazing things like this. I was looking at one of the blogs on my sidebar (I forget which one) and it had a link to another blog, where I found a link to this recipe. I find that it's more fun to find recipes this way than just to use a search engine (if I have the time) because you never know what you will come across.
Thank you Dorothy for the easy caramelized onion recipe!

Thanks for checking out my blog...do come back. You never know what you will find here, either. Onward...into year eight of blogging.

Peel onions and cut them into thin slices; you should have about 6 cups (exact amount is not crucial, though). Mist the inside of the ceramic insert for the slow cooker, place onions in cooker and drizzle the oil over the slices. Cover and cook on high 10-12 hours, until the onions caramelize. They will have a deep brown color.
Leftover caramelized onions may be refrigerated, covered, up to a week or two. They may be frozen up to 6 months.
Makes 3 cups.

Its amazing to think how much has changed in so little time, especially where the internet is concerned. I haven't been blogging quite as long as you but I remember when I started some people had never heard of blogs.I love your recipes and homely style, may you continue to bake and blog for many more years to come :)

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